Designs and Summer Plans

The first week in June was a busy one for Trent and Rory. They had a wedding to prepare for in less than eight weeks. It had been an easy decision in the end to reject the idea of a theme, but that didn't mean that all the difficult issues were easier to resolve. It had been simple enough to call up Rory's Nana in Clane, and convince her that she should have an 'assistant' on the flight across. She was aging, but she was still pretty capable; then again, she had never flown in her life before, and who knew how she would cope with the confines of a transatlantic economy flight? In the end, with a little bit of persuasion, the young priest in Clane that had welcomed Rory with a handshake on his final visit to town had been prevailed upon to write a letter to a convent in Dublin. This missive was a request for a sister, of a similar age, to accompany an increasingly frail old lady to her grandson's wedding in the United States - all expenses to be paid, and a donation made by a grateful family.

Of course, there had been no guarantee that the correct nun would be selected for the task. Fate once again appeared to be on their side. When she had travelled up to the convent to see the Mother Superior with the assistance of Mrs Flynn, Agnes had talked about her life growing up in a particular village on the west coast of Ireland, and of her childhood there; it turned out that Rory's nun, Sister Mary Agnes, had also grown up there, and so a connection was forged. It would have been churlish for the Mother Superior to refuse when Agnes requested her for her travelling companion. Of course, the whole thing was a fake; Agnes had merely memorised a crib sheet that Rory had made for her with the help of the good sister… As for Mrs Flynn, she had accepted her invitation with no hesitation, and made quite a show of it amongst the neighbours, including Rory's parents. Both Rory and Séamus had agreed that it would be silly for the three women to travel all that way for just a couple of days; and so after the weddings in Washington, they would travel on to New York. Cooper had offered to put them up, but Rory had decided to book rooms at the New Yorker. So the flights were all booked, as where the train tickets from Washington to New York.

The menu for the wedding also seemed to be quiet a simple choice. The food at Séamus' wedding to Becca would be on a modern American theme, with just a slight nod to her mother's Southern heritage. For Trent and Rory, the idea was a simple menu of good food, with a big nod in the direction of the traditional Irish cuisine that they both enjoyed. As for a bachelor party - well, after much consideration, they had rejected the idea. They had both enjoyed themselves at the one that had been held for Niff last year, and had fond memories of Sam's routine and of the freedom they had felt that night as they danced in the club to just be themselves. The idea of a drunken night in Washington DC was not one that appealed as much, and would never live up to the bar already set, and so they had decided instead on a tea party of sorts with Séamus the day before his wedding. To say that the words 'tea party' had gone down like a lead balloon amongst their friends would not have been an understatement. It was their choice, and they all agreed to respect it, even Santana. Her initial idea of kidnapping them and dragging them to a bar in Princeton with the help of a certain meerkat had been abandoned even before Sebastian had been told he would be involved.

The biggest problem was, it turned out, their wedding suits. It wasn't that they could not decide on what they wanted - matching suits, in a tasteful light grey, made of linen for both style and comfort in the heat of a Maryland summer. It was more a case of finding them, and in a cut that they both liked. They gave up on the stores in DC after a frustrating search; they tried on-line, and headed further south into Virginia, but to no avail. Watching over them from above, one angel in particular shared their pain and was increasingly frustrated that he could not do more to help them.

"If I was still alive Blaine," Kurt said in exasperation, "I would design them something myself, then find the material and make them up, as I did with ours. I even went to my mom and asked about it, but it just is not possible! I could draw a design, but it would be invisible, except to our friends - and let's face it, none of them is capable of making up the suits to the standard that is required!"

It was an issue, and it seemed insurmountable, until suddenly, Blaine realised that the solution was staring them in the face. What if Kurt drew the designs, and then took it to the artist of the group, Jeff? Could he not then copy them out in his own steady hand, and pass those drawings on to a tailor? His eureka moment earned him much love from Kurt. So it was that on the first Friday of June, Kurt went to visit Trent and Rory with three possible designs for their suits. All of them were beautiful, and it was only after much debate that one was finally chosen. This was then taken by Kurt to Jeff, who sat in silence for hours copying it out in minute detail; all of the most important things, from the cut to the detail of the stitching had to be provided. Finally, it was just a question of getting it made, and Kurt again knew who they could call on to find someone. Thus it was Isabelle that took the designs to someone who could turn it into a paper pattern, and then on to a tailor. With the measurements of the two grooms taken in detail, it was no time at all before the suits were being made. And, as if by luck, the tailor she had found had just taken delivery of two bolts of dove grey pure Irish linen….

That wasn't exactly luck either. Angels could use their influence on the world to the benefit of those that they were guardian to, or those with whom they had had a close relationship on earth. Just as Blaine had managed to place the perfect suits and shoes in a second hand clothing store in Berlin for Nick and Jeff; just as Kurt had managed to send a delivery of Daltonesque bowties to Selfridges for the same couple; so now Wes had arranged for the perfect material to be delivered, in error, to the tailor that he knew Isabelle would select. The man in question had been on the point of returning it when the suit order had arrived with a courier, along with a note from Isabelle, personally requesting that he try and find Irish linen for the young men they were for. The tailor had laughed, and the rest, as they say, was history.

As he progressed with the order, the tailor found himself increasingly impressed with the attention to detail that the designer had. It was all so right, and the drawings he had been given so well executed and specific that he felt compelled to ask Isabelle who had produced them. That left the lady in question with a dilemma; she could hardly turn round and say that they had been drawn last week by someone that had actually died nearly two years ago. So she left it at the truth to a point; that the design had been created by a mutual friend of herself and the two grooms, who had asked to remain anonymous. The tailor accepted this, and asked no more. However, one of his staff was more curious, and had noticed a clue. When he had copied out the drawings, Jeff had done what he had always done when he drew, in all innocence. As a result, every single one was marked with his initials - JS-D….

The beginning of June also saw Nick and Jeff house hunting. Not for themselves, as they were more than content with the loft, but for two young people that were very close to their hearts. Luke, Jeff's cousin, had now graduated from high school, and in a few weeks he and Duncan would be trading in the peace and quiet of their lives in rural Vermont for the hustle and bustle of the metropolis. Their parents had known for a while that this day would come, and having survived as the only out gay kids in a small town high school, they could probably deal with the worst that the city could throw at them too. It did not stop them worrying any less. It was for that reason that Jeff's mother Elspeth had called him, and asked if he and Nick could assist by finding an apartment, close to their own, that was within the tight budget that the two boys families could afford.

Such a task was no longer as easy in Bushwick as it had been when Kurt had been seeking a home, their own loft, for himself and Rachel. The area had been up and coming then, but now it was on trend, and as a result, rental had risen steadily for the most part, and in some pockets, astronomically. That did not make the task impossible, it just meant that there would have to be compromises. The apartment would either have to be a little smaller than they might have liked, or they would have to find a roommate to share with them. There was no shortage of options, and Nick attempted to find something at first by going through the online listings and printing off those that he felt were a possibility. All this did was create a pile of paper that only Caleb found interesting. Even when they tried to narrow things down by concentrating on certain streets, based on local gossip and the greater knowledge of the area that Rachel and Santana had, there were still so many possible that it would take weeks to see them all. It was then that Mike made a suggestion that turned out to be the clincher. They should ask someone who had lived in the area all her life for her opinion - the cashier at the corner store.

It was a fruitful conversation, as thanks to her, they found a gem. It wasn't listed online, or even in a store window yet. It belonged to her sister; she had bought it for her son when he had married, back in the day when the area was unpopular. The son and his new wife, both raised in the area, had moved in, and had spent time lovingly restoring all the original features of the two bedroom apartment in a traditional block. Their first child had been brought home to the same place, and they had appeared settled. But now, two years later, he had been offered a promotion at work - more money and better prospects. They were expecting a second child, so that was wonderful. The issue was that whilst the job was still in the state, it was at the office in Albany. Continuing to live in the city would not be an option if he took it. They had no option but to move.

They did not want to sell the little apartment that they had been so happy in though. At some point in the future, they might wish to return to the city, and with the price of property rising so fast, keeping the foothold was advantageous. So they were looking for a trustworthy and careful tenant to move in. As the friendly cashier said, she knew Nick and Jeff, and if it was for a member of their family that they were willing to vouch for… So it was that two days later a smartly dressed Nick and Jeff made their way to the building. They had expected the place to be nice from all they had been told. They had not expected for it to be gorgeous. For a moment they had looked at each other and considered taking it themselves, and letting Luke and Duncan have the loft. After all, there was even a second bedroom for Mike. Jeff's finger had been right above his number on his phone, about to call him… Then they decided that they could not do that to the two younger boys. They agreed that they should stay where they were, but that one day, once college was over, and they were working, they would look for a place like this for themselves. The deal was therefore done; the papers were signed off, and the deposit paid. All that now remained to be done for the two soon to be city residents was to source some furniture; and advertise for a roommate, although that could be done in due course…

Time flew by for them all that month. Without the stresses of college, the days were lazier to a certain extent. There were still books to be read for the start of the following years work. They had jobs to go to - the Law Library was quiet again, and Nick spent much of his time at the issue desk reading his own text books to give himself something to pass the time. He wondered as he did so if the place was always like this in June; this time last year he had been in Europe, and there was a part of him that wished that they were there again now, but this time, just him and Jeff. They had seen so little of the continent when he thought about it. He pictured them heading to Italy, and strolling round Venice with Jeff's hand clasped firmly in his own; imagined feeling so young as he stood amongst the roman remains in what had been the capital of their empire. If not Italy, then they could travel to explore the chateaux of the Loire Valley, or the mountains of Austria - he had an immediate vision of himself feeding Sachertorte to Jeff in Vienna. That made him smile - it had to be a far safer cake than the one that Jeff had fed to him in Amsterdam…

As for the young man in question, he was passing his time when he wasn't at the diner making more drawings for his portfolio. The growing Caleb was a feature in many of his latest works. Somehow the little cat knew that he had to stay still when Jeff was drawing him - then again, it was warm and Caleb did sleep a lot of the time, at least during the heat of the day. The vet was very happy with him - he was no longer underweight, as he had been in March; but all the books had been right, and Caleb would never be a father. That made Jeff sad, but he could understand that. He was in the same boat after all, though in his case that was by choice. He was also pleased by the fact that a couple of his drawings had been chose to be shown in the college's summer exhibition - one of his drawings from last summer in Paris, which he had reworked and perfected; and one of himself, drawn in January, in which he was shirtless, thus showing his two tattoos. They were attracting a lot of attention amongst all the visitors, and more importantly, amongst the critics.

For the NYADA students, the summer was a time when they had not just jobs to go to, but auditions. Marley got very lucky indeed, and landed herself a temporary part in the chorus of Funny Girl when one of the cast broke her ankle; it was only a short term role, but as both Kitty and Ryder pointed out to her, she was on Broadway! On top of that, her performance had made both the director and theatre manager take note, and she found herself offered a job as an usher after her stage role ended. She accepted it on the spot as it would be a great way to study the production and the theatre in depth, and would not interfere with her studies.

Santana got a part time job with a children's theatre company in Brooklyn, where she passed on what she was learning to the young hopefuls, and helped them to organise a show of their own to mark the end of the summer holidays. Sam landed him self a small part in an off-Broadway production at his second audition. He had been successful at his first audition too, and the part was bigger, but he had to turn it down. Rachel had freaked out big style when he told her he had been offered a leading part in Naked Boys Singing. The audition process had been good experience though, as he had to perform in what would have been his stage costume and that had calmed his nerves no end. When he had been told about it, Sebastian had laughed his head off, before announcing that he had a part in the programme of summer plays in Central Park. The only drawbacks were the vagaries of the weather, and the fact that as it was a Shakespearean piece, he had to wear tights. Still, if Mike Chang could do so nightly in his summer shows at the Lincoln Center, then so could he!

As for Cooper, he put on his high heeled boots eight times a week, and was only free on a Monday. It wasn't an ideal situation for a newly engaged couple if he and Grace were entirely honest, but they made it work. Grace convinced her boss that she could just as easily work Tuesday to Saturday rather than Monday to Friday, and that she would get more done on the final day as the office would be much quieter. This meant that after his show on Sunday, he and Grace had nearly 36 hours when neither of them had to be anywhere else. They had no idea how long an engagement they wanted, and both realised that a lot would depend on their jobs. What they did know was that Kurt had promised, on the back of what he had done for Trent and Rory, to design a wedding dress for Grace that would make it look as if Kate Middleton had bought hers from Walmart; the suit he designed for Cooper would also be the talk of the town. Of course, word of his promise got out, as did the fact that he had designed suits for Trent and Rory - and thus he found himself designing dresses for Brittany, Santana and Tina; the latter had made him swear he would not mention that fact to Mike…

For those that lived away from New York, the month was also turning out to be busy. In Washington DC, Trent and Rory were not just busy with the plans for their wedding, but also hard at work for Burt. They knew that on the last Friday of the month, the Supreme Court would make a ruling that would change the world; a ruling that Blaine had always longed to see, but had said, ironically as it happened, to all the Warblers the day before Wes had graduated from Dalton, that he did not think it would happen in his lifetime. Had Hunter not have come into their lives, then just maybe his statement would have turned out to be untrue… Then there were the discomfiting rumours that a well known businessman (and reality TV star) was thinking about running for President for the Republicans. That had them all concerned, particularly Burt, who thought that the guy might well be insane. All of this meant that they had a lot of E-mails to send and a lot of speeches to write. Then there were the endless meetings and the growing mountain of correspondence that had to be answered on Burt's behalf.

It barely left them time to deal with their own mail, amongst which were the first replies to the invitations that they had posted out. Ethan had been first, and his reply was a yes - he had also confided in Trent that his flight back to the States would be on a one way ticket, and that he would be completing his studies at Princeton. He had not told anyone, apart from Drew, that his decision was now official. Trent swore that he would say nothing to anyone, even Rory, about it - but the knowledge had left him with mixed feelings. It would be good to have Ethan back stateside; he had always been a good friend to him. It would, however, mark the end of yet another of Dalton's epic bromances - with Wevid already gone, that left them with only Fleats. He knew that people moved on, and had to, as they grew older; as school was left behind in all its forms and the world of work approached, but it still made him feel quite sad that Ethan and Drew would be thousands of miles apart after a friendship that had been so close for so long.

What Trent did not know was that a new bromance was growing all the stronger as each day went on in L.A. When Wes had been alive, the two had been friends, but each was closer to Wes for their own reasons. Now without his presence, they had realised that they cared for each other deeply, and that they had a lot of things in common. Mercedes had no issue with the fact that she could see Thavid developing in front of her. In fact, she liked it, as in some ways, having Thad around was a bit like having certain aspects of Kurt back in her life. He had a good eye for fashion, and for what was a no-go; he could use this to discretely advise David for her benefit. She and Thad could also sit down over a coffee and talk about all of the latest gossip, whilst at their side David just sat and rolled his eyes.

Still, he was glad that his girlfriend and his 'brother from another mother' got on so well. It did make life quite easy for him. He was certain that Mercedes was the woman for him now, but he had not even considered the possibility of getting down on one knee and proposing to her yet though. He had college to finish, and she had a career to build up. Her debut album was coming up for release, and her two singles released so far had both made a number of playlists as they had rocketed up the charts. They had discussed the idea that he be named officially as her long term boyfriend, but he had decided that as long as it was made clear that he existed, then he didn't want his name splashed all over the gossip columns, or his photograph displayed on websites. So they went to small, discrete places for their nights out; to cosy little restaurants for meals. Heck, he had even learnt to cook some very basic recipes so that they could eat in from time to time, thanks to a lot of conversations with his mother and to a lesser extent, Nick. Thad was also good at making himself scarce at those times, having no problem with going to hang out with either Jake or Unique when the need arose. All in all, life was good.